Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

The End Of An Era

The end of an era is here: Mercedes-Benz and McLaren have officially announced their separation, and with it goes the legend that is the SLR McLaren supercar. We've spent the past six years openly drooling over this hot set of wheels, and we're sad to see it go. However, Mercedes-Benz and McLaren have decided to go out with a bang with their uber-cool and retro special edition Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss. As an ode to all that was great about the SLR, let's take a look back at the supercar version of Jessica Alba.

The Mercedes-Benz name is synonymous with well-crafted luxury cars. Using auto racing to showcase its engineering prowess throughout most of the 20th century, Mercedes popularly campaigned their cars under the nickname “Silver Arrows” intermittently between 1930 and 1955. Regrettably, after recording the fastest Mille Miglia time in history, the 1955 300 SLR served as Mercedes’ last serious racing effort until the late 1980s.

Staking a return to former motorsport greatness, Mercedes-Benz began supplying engines to an ailing Team McLaren in 1995. The pairing soon became the hottest relationship in Formula 1 racing, cemented further when DaimlerChrysler purchased a 40% interest in McLaren and assured an enduring partnership.

Parlaying the 10-year Formula 1 friendship in 2005, Mercedes-Benz and McLaren merged their racing experience and produced an offspring worthy of both nameplates. The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren aimed to recapture a racing pedigree that was lost 50 years prior.

Our evaluations are grouped under two categories: luxury and practicality. In each category, 50 possible points make up a total of 100.

Luxury ride

Many racing enthusiasts will know that 300 SLRs only raced professionally in open-cockpit form. Therefore, the new SLR McLaren takes on the personality of the rare, hardtop test version of the 300 SLR named the Uhlenhaut Coupe. For 2007, a sleek, long-flowing hood line and functional side gills behind the front wheels pay tribute to the 1955 race car. However, with only racing greats such as Sterling Moss restricted to using his 1955 SLR for business, the 2007 SLR is show business for a new generation of elite drivers.

The SLR McLaren’s dimensions (183.3 inches long, 106.3 inches wide and 49.6 inches tall) allow the car to cut through the air with the precision of a surgical knife. The car’s front end, evidenced in the pointed nose contour, is inspired by the Formula 1 McLaren. The tri-star emblem, which usually serves as a proud accent to the grille, has actually become the grille and part of the air-induction system on the SLR. The SLR's long hood surface, which transitions to a near horizontal windshield and to a radically low roof, helps the car achieve a 0.37 drag coefficient. Additionally, the SLR's body, a high-quality carbon-fiber composite, is 50% lighter than steel.

The 5.5 liter, 617-horsepower V8 operates with two spark plugs per cylinder to increase the potency of the ignition during combustion. The SLR McLaren also takes advantage of MB’s in-house performance division, AMG, which provides a belt-driven supercharger and a dry-sump oiling system to master a top speed of 208 mph and a 3.8-second 0-60 mph time.

Additional AMG performance expertise was used in the SLR McLaren's five-speed automatic transmission — the only tranny available on the car. Being the fastest automatic supercar in the world, this transmission is heavily programmable to suit the driver's preference: If you desire edge-of-your-seat supercar performance, there are three manual modes (Sport, Supersport and Race) that can be engaged via the levers on the steering wheel or with the touchpad. The automatic modes include the Sport, for everyday use, and Comfort, which aids the driver with a second-gear take off on bumpy or slippery surfaces.

To slow down from its incredible speeds, the SLR uses high-performance carbon-ceramic brakes (with eight-piston calipers in the front and four-piston calipers in the rear) and a very extraordinary air-brake system that features a rear spoiler. The SLR McLaren stops faster than any other car in its class, coming to dead stop from 62 mph in a mere 114 feet.

Another design cue that the SLR McLaren takes from the 300 SL is the set of gullwing doors that open up to a two-seat oasis. Inside, carbon-fiber bucket seats with lumbar support are draped with Grand Nappa leather or with the optional Silver Arrow leather upholstery. Occupants rest their feet on velour floor mats while they enjoy individual climate control, which is aided by the sun sensor that adjusts for the effects of direct sunlight. Other goodies inside include a seven-speaker Bose surround-sound stereo systems with a six-disc CD charger (and a concealed cassette deck), and an integrated cellular phone.

Unlike many other Mercs, the SLR McLarens are hand-built away from Deutschland: composites are made in Portsmouth, England, and assembly takes place at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. With the mass-production equipment found on the assembly line, 500 SLRs are built each year on a floor originally intended to produce carbon-fiber parts for the F1 race car.

Get the verdict on the SLR McLaren's luxury and read about its practicality...